Report shows food insecurity growing more rapidly in
suburban neighborhoods than in rural or urban city areas!

Phoenix – Arizona Fair Share Education Fund (AZFSEF)
released Childhood Hunger in America’s
Suburbs, a new report detailing the changing geography of childhood hunger
at a time of growing suburban poverty, at a 10 a.m. news conference on
Thursday. AZFSEF was joined by State Representative Lela Alston, State
Representative Martin Quezada, and David Martinez III from St. Mary’s Food Bank
Alliance to discuss the report.

“Childhood hunger has
changed,” said AZFSEF State Organizer Kimberley Pope. “Hunger is no longer
strictly an urban and rural phenomenon. It affects nearly every American
community, including communities that might otherwise think child hunger is a
problem that happens ‘somewhere else.’ Our perceptions have to change -- and
with our perceptions, our policies.”

Representative Quezada
added, “Arizona has an inexcusable amount of children dealing with food
insecurity, roughly 1 in 3 kids, and all evidence shows that the numbers are
growing despite our charitable efforts. This is a problem we can’t ignore.”

As Representative Alston
stated, “Almost half of the children enrolled in Arizona’s

schools are eligible
for free or reduced-price lunch. Those are kids in city schools, in suburban
schools, in rural schools. Childhood hunger is not a problem that can be
pinpointed to one area. This is widespread in our state, and every one of those
kids deserves a better shot.”

David Martinez III has the unique experience of working with
low-income families in a charity setting, and pointed out that every community
has a different need. “St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance and other charities are
doing our part to try to close the child hunger gap by operating summer and
afterschool meal programs in our community. But despite our efforts, we are
still only able to reach a fraction of children in need. Charities likes ours
could do far more to protect Arizona’s children from hunger if we had the
choice of operating a meal program that matches our community’s needs, rather
than forcing communities to adopt a one-size-fits-all model.”

Arizona Fair Share Education Fund is a grassroots field
and advocacy group, working to make sure everyone gets, pays, and does their
fair share; and plays by the same rules. Find out more at http://www.fairshareonline.org/edfund